Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.
Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.
Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.
Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.
HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.
HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.
HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.
GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.
Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.
Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.
Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jessie said 9:33AM on 8-17-2007
this is bullshit. limewire is supposed to be for free downloads of songs, not ones you have to pay for!
FUCKING BULLSHIT !!!!!!!!!
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Mary said 9:40AM on 8-17-2007
Jessie, if you had written one of those songs, you would be singing a different tune about the "freeness" of it.
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kelly said 10:33AM on 8-17-2007
WHO is the RIAA demanding the money from? The users?
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Amesha C. Smith said 10:57AM on 8-17-2007
Perhaps I should care about the creative property of musicians, but I don't. There is so much greed in the music and entertainment industry. CD technology is almost 25 years old now and a new CD should not cost $15 or $16. As they sow so shall they reap. Since they were so greedy they are now suffering the consequences. I paid $26 two years ago and download anything I want on KazaaGold. That was cheap for a lifetime membership and I find everything I want to download. I have downloaded hundredes of songs fomr that site and I have not purchased a new CD in years.
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lpfoofighter said 1:11AM on 8-20-2007
screw those rich motherf*ckers. they should get reduced down the common man's wealth level so they might just have a little more respect for us workin class folks. and, despite the beliefs those tightassed baby kissers at the RIAA, limewire's file sharing wont be hurting them as much as a misplaced quarter would hurt us. screw em, yall, keep stickin it to the man
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coyote said 5:43PM on 10-09-2007
Personally, I haven't heard anything released by a major label in the last 5 years I would buy or even download. The labels hacks are trying to blame piracy on the weak bottom line when the truth is poor taste and lack of creativity on the part of the guys running the business.
I find Limewire useful for finding rare gems and unreleased songs posted by very creative musicians who have no contact with the RIAA.
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greg said 7:12PM on 10-09-2007
What does RIAA really mean? Kickbacks come to mind, these so called artists are making money for a song they never wrote, but are making millions? Half of these artists are dead and gone, do they share the money with the famalies of the guy or girl who wrote these songs, maybe, maybe not...I'm going with, not one red cent. So who's stealing from who? Artists today are nothing but lazy, no good for nothing rejects who can't find a real job. They cry out that were stealing food from there babies mouth, but what there really saying is, there stealing coke from our noses. CD's today are marked up a 300 percent profit, who's the thief NOW!!
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